This is a Worldbuilders blog.
Well folks, we’ve got just a little more than a week left before the end of Worldbuilders, and as I type this we are just about to break 80,000 on our Team Heifer page. I’m thinking if we work hard to spread the word we can break 100,000 by the end of the week.
And maybe, just maybe, we might break last year’s total…
Today we’ve got another batch of lovely books donated by readers. Many of these are signed, or first editions, or both. Others are limited, numbered editions.
Some of these books would probably fetch a couple hundred bucks if we were to throw them up for auction. But personally, I like having cool, rare stuff in the general lottery.
Right now we have what I like to think of as a prize-rich environment. I did some quick math and discovered that right now, if you donate enough for a flock of ducks (20 bucks) you have, roughly, a 1 in 8 chance of winning something.
If you step it up a bit and give enough for a Gardener’s Gift Basket (170 bucks can buy a family everything they need to start a sustainable farm – tree seedlings, rabbits to generate organic manure, chickens to eat pests and a hive of bees to pollinate crops and increase yields.) Then the odds say you’ve got a 1 in 1 chance of winning something.
If that by itself doesn’t encourage you to chip in a little extra, maybe a look at these new books will…
[Edit: So apparently there’s a reason I failed statistics the first time around. (True story.) It seems logical to me that if buying one ticket gets you a 10% chance to win, then buying 10 tickets gets you a 100% chance to win. Ten ten percents is a hunnert percent, right?
Well, apparently not. As a few people pointed out in the comments below, my math is solid (I can still handle basic addition) but the underlying statistical logic doesn’t work.
This bugged me, so I actually wandered onto campus and hit up one of the math professors there. He was willing to take a couple minutes to explain to me that yes, I was wrong.
It turns out that if you were to donate enough for a goat (120 bucks ) the odds of you winning something is actually…
(Pat fiddles with math. )
Um… the odds are good. Really good. Donating a goat to Worldbuilders means that you’re roughly a kajillion times more likely to win something than if you buy a lottery ticket.
This is why I don’t play roulette…]
- A hardcover first edition of Changes by Jim Butcher. Signed and dated by the author.
“The fast-paced and compelling 12th book in Butcher’s bestselling series is aptly titled… Butcher is deft at relieving some of the tension and grimness with bursts of gallows humor that keep readers coming back for more.” – Publishers Weekly
- A hardcover copy of Hazards: The Chronicles of Lucifer Jones 1934-1938 by Mike Resnick. Signed by the author.
“This entertaining collection follows con artist, minister and adventurer Lucifer Jones, last seen in 1992’s Exploits, as he travels through South America… The likable scoundrel’s mix of lust, chicanery and naïveté moves the action along nicely, and though Resnick pokes fun at pulp adventure tales and the arrogance of early 20th-century imperialism, he never lets mockery interfere with good storytelling… Jones’s engaging narrative voice will endear it to fans of lighthearted adventure stories.” – Publishers Weekly
- A hardcover first edition of Spook Country by William Gibson. Signed by the author.
“Gibson’s work is all edge and chill and incipient panic…His worlds are so striking, so plausible, that you’re just happy to be along for the ride.” – Chicago Tribune
- A hardcover first edition of Worldwar: Striking the Balance by Harry Turtledove. Signed by the author.
“Turtledove’s historical scholarship, narrative technique, dry wit and deft characterization distinguish this novel just as they did its predecessors, making it a rousing wrap-up to a monument of alternate history from a master of the genre.” – Publishers Weekly
- A hardcover copy of The Children of Men by P. D. James with signed bookplate.
“She writes like an angel. Every character is closely drawn. Her atmosphere is unerringly, chillingly convincing. And she manages all this without for a moment slowing down the drive and tension of an exciting mystery.” – The Times (UK)
- A hardcover copy of Desperate Moon by R. Andrew Heidel with an introduction by Harlan Ellison. Numbered, limited edition in a protective slipcase. Signed by the author and by Harlan Ellison.
It’s not often I’m drawn into a book by the blurbs alone. But really, these two are pretty fabulous…
“Superb! Stirring! Bravo!” — Ray Bradbury
“Extraordinarily talented.” — Harlan Ellison
- A hardcover copy of The Best of Robert E. Howard Vol. 1: Crimson Shadows by Robert E. Howard. Numbered, limited edition in a protective slipcase. Signed by the illustrators Jim and Ruth Keegan.
“Stories such as ‘The People of the Black Circle’ glow with the fierce and eldritch light of [Howard’s] frenzied intensity.” – Stephen King
“Robert E. Howard was a true storyteller–one of the first, and certainly among the best, you’ll find in heroic fantasy. If you’ve never read him before, you’re in for a real treat.” – Charles de Lint
- A set of And Another Thing Part 3 and The Hitcherhiker’s Guide to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Eoin Colfer. Signed by the author.
These are actually rare promotional materials released in advance of the newest installment of the Hitchhiker’s Guide. Both signed by Eoin Colfer, they’re a cool collector’s items.
“Wacky humor reminiscent of the original Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy rings true… You can’t go home again, but Adams fans will still appreciate the reunion with old friends.” – Publishers Weekly
- A hardcover copy of The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Signed by the author.
“The most anticipated science fiction novel of the year. Bacigalupi takes the ideas and themes from his award-winning short and fiction and explores them in greater complexity and depth than ever before. The results are spectacular. You won’t see the future the same way every again.” – C. C. Finlay, author of the Traitor to the Crown series
- A hardcover copy of Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi. Signed by the author.
“…astute social commentary in poignant, revelatory prose.” – Publishers Weekly, Best Books of the Year
- A hardcover copy of Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. Signed and dated by the author.
“Bacigalupi’s future earth is brilliantly imagined and its genesis anchored in contemporary issues…The characters are layered and complex, and their almost unthinkable actions and choices seem totally credible. Vivid, brutal, and thematically rich, this captivating title is sure to win teen fans for the award-winning Bacigalupi.” – Booklist (starred review)
- A hardcover copy of Halting State by Charles Stross. Signed by the author.
“…Halting State is one extremely smart species of fun.” – William Gibson.
“The first couple pages had me hooked and I didn’t touch another book until I finished it.” – John Carmack.
- A hardcover first edition of The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Signed by the author.
Simply said. I really enjoyed this book. If you’re looking for more details on it, including a blurb from Martin, you can check out the blog I wrote about it.
- A hardcover copy of A Soul in a Bottle by Tim Powers. Numbered, limited edition, signed by the author.
I love all of Tim Power’s books. I read this one years back, and it’s every bit as good as all his other work. He mingles fact and fiction so cleverly that a lot of times I can’t tell what parts of his books he’s invented, and which parts he’s pulled from the stranger corners of human history.
“There are no thin, hairy specters lurking in this tale, and no cold grue to chill one’s bones. Its impact is more moral than visceral, evoking the pity and fear that are hallmarks of tragedy. Exquisitely illustrated by J. K. Potter, this slender volume is sure to appeal to epicures of the terrible.” – Publishers Weekly
- A hardcover copy of Antediluvian Tales by Poppy Z. Brite.
“Antediluvian, in this collection of stories by New Orleans writer Brite, refers not to watery theology but, rather, to events occurring prior to the landfall of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005… Brite chisels a few new facets in the diamond that was antediluvian New Orleans.” – Booklist
- A hardcover limited edition of Stephen King Goes to the Movies by Stephen King.
From Stephen King’s website: The #1 bestselling author reflects on the filming of five of his most popular short stories, each tale included in this collection. Those movies are The Shawshank Redemption, 1408, Children of the Corn, The Mangler, and Hearts in Atlantis.
Includes an introduction, his brief personal commentary, and behind-the-scenes insights by Stephen.
The Subterranean Press edition of Stephen King Goes to the Movies is — so far — the only hardcover edition scheduled, and features full-color movie poster illustrations — one for each story — by Vincent Chong.
- A hardcover copy of After the War by Tim Lebbon.
“Lebbon’s post-apocalyptic fantasy world is a bleak one, and his strong, descriptive writing and sympathetic characters make its horrors all too visible.” – Booklist
- A hardcover copy of Mirror Kingdoms: The Best of Peter S. Beagle by Peter S. Beagle and edited by Jonathan Strahan. Numbered, limited edition signed by Peter S. Beagle.
This is a really great collection, including Beagle’s best work, including his Hugo award winning follow up to The Last Unicorn.
Even the regular edition is out of print and going for hundreds of dollars. This one is cooler than that, and is one of the 250 signed, numbered, limited editions.
It’s incredibly shiny…
“Beagle plays on the heartstrings as a master musician, and this definitive collection, a magnificent grand tour of his many created worlds, will thrill his legions of fans.” – Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
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Lastly, we have a cool item to add to our growing list of auctions.
- The Heart of Faerie Oracle by Brian and Wendy Froud. Signed by both Brian and Wendy.
From the renowned team of Brian and Wendy Froud comes a delightful and spiritual guide that offer believers a chance to connect with and experience the love and wisdom that comes from the hearts of faeries. The Heart of the Faerie Oracle box set includes 68 oracle cards, illustrated by Brian Froud. The accompanying book provides detailed instructions reading the cards.
The oracle cards feature Brian Froud’s recognizable faerie images, such as the enchanting Queen of Golden Bough and the mischievous Trickster.
For more details and pictures, you can check out the auction over here.
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Remember folks, until Dec 13th, Worldbuilders is matching 50% of all donations made on our Team Heifer page.
Even better, for every 10 dollars you donate, you get a chance to win these books and hundreds of others like them.
For more details about Worldbuilders, or to see the other auctions and donations, you can head over to the main page HERE.
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